It’s not too early to start campaigning for the Minnesota House. Case in point: One suburban seat already has three candidates jostling to go to the Legislature after next fall’s election. House District 53B covers part of the city of Woodbury in the southeastern suburbs, and its current representative, Republican Andrea Kieffer, recently decided she would not seek re-election next year.

Minnesota’s 2012 Democratic legislative campaigns started about two years ago. The exact date depends on who you ask.

When it comes to spending by Minnesota’s political parties, the state DFL has emerged as the No. 1 player in the 2012 battle for control of Legislature.

The last three election cycles have proven the voters of House District 39B to be independent-minded and evenly divided. While consecutive “wave” elections have rolled in both directions, the district has been the site of a series of nail-biters.

Nobody knows what the legislative maps will look like in 2012. The politically charged redistricting process will almost certainly be decided by the courts, most likely in February. But that uncertainty over legislative district boundaries hasn’t stopped numerous challengers on both sides of the aisle from declaring their candidacies.